Fuel gas heater



July 15, 1958 A. L. BADISH FUEL GAS HEATER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 25, 1956 R O N E V m AZexLBadish I July 15, 1958 V A H 2,843,105

FUEL GAS HEATER Filed Oct. 25, 1.956

United States Patent FUEL GAS HEATER Alex L. Badish, Stephenson, Mich. Application October 25, 1956, Serial No. 618,268

6 Claims. (Cl. 126-58) This invention relates to fuel gas heaters.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a fuel gas heater including replaceable fuel containers which, when heated, generated gas which burns with air to provide the main source of heat and during this process the containers themselves are converted to charcoal which may then be burned.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a fuel gas heater of the above type which includes a capsule of liquid fuel to facilitate the start of the heating.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a fuel gas heater of the above type which is entirely portable and is particularly adapted for camping stoves and wherein the replaceable fuel containers may be easily replaced.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a novel, replaceable fuel container for fuel gas heaters.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a fuel gas heater bearing the above objects in mind which is of simple construction, has a minimum number of parts, is inexpensive to manufacture and efficient in operation and use.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof illustrating the replaceable fuel container;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the replaceable fuel container;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view shown alone of the fuel container support;

Fig. 6 is a top perspective view of the fuel container; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the invention in operative use with a camp stove.

Referring now more in detail to the drawing, 10 represents a hollow cylindrical outer casing having a bottom wall 11, the casing 10 being provided with the oppositely disposed handles 13 for easy portability. The casing 10 near the lower end thereof is provided with the angularly spaced vent openings 14 and includes a top wall 15 having the raised, hollow frusto-conical portion 16 at the center thereof, the top and bottom of the frusto-conical portion 16 being open. The top wall 15 surrounding the burner 16 supports an inner hollow cylindrical casing 18 having a bottom wall 19 freely spaced above the bottom wall 11. The inner casing 18 provides a gas chamber 21 and is provided with the circularly arranged vertically spaced sets of air feed openings 22.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 5, a ring-shaped support 23 is provided with -a plurality of angularly spaced, upwardly and outwardly extending hooks 24, by

- means of which it is supported within the inner casing 18 above the bottom wall 19 thereof, the hooks 24 at their upper ends engaging the casing 18 with the openings 22 thereof.

A plurality of replaceable fuel containers are provided and include the paper pleated cups 25 having the covers 26 having perforations 29, the fuel containers when in the inverted position being supported on the ring-shaped support 23. The bottom of each ofthe cups is painted with aluminum paint 27 which is then dipped in sand. Each of the paper cups 25 is packed with a mixture 28 made up of one part fuel oil to to eight parts saw dust. A fuel oil capsule is embedded in the top of each of the cups, the open end of the capsule passing upwardly through the paper cover 26 and being provided with a closure 30 of low melting point, for example wax, and within which is embedded the depending wick 31. The capsule is filled with fuel oil or lighter fluid 32.

A vertically adjustable semicylindrical shield 33 is provided with a vertically elongated slot 34 which receives therethrough the handle 13.

In operation, the replaceable fuel container is ignited and placed within the inner casing 18 to be supported on the ring 23 with the top of the cup freely spaced from the bottom wall 19, the frusto-conical portion 16 being open as shown to permit the insertion of the fuel container. The burning wick melts the wax cover 36, causing the fuel oil or lighter fluid 32 to drop into the bottom 19 of the burner where it heats the fuel container and causes gas to escape downwardly through the openings 29 in the cover of the cup. This gas rises upwardly through the openings within the chamber 21 and is admixed with air entering through the vents 14 and 22 where it burns upwardly through the open burner 16. The openings 29 in the paper cover 26 permit the gas to escape into the gas chamber 21. While the gas is escaping and burning, the cup turns to charcoal and remains in one piece until the gas is all used up.

The bottom of the cup, painted with the aluminum 2'7 and dipped in sand, protects the cup from the wind. Without such a coating, the wind would lick at the cup and the charcoal cup would crack and permit the gas to escape through the top. Should that happen, there would be no gas escaping from the lower end of the container to heat the fuel .and to produce more gas.

The shelf 23 supports the inverted cup in freely spaced relationship to the bottom wall 19 of the burner just above the bottom burner openings 22 so that the heat may permeate under the container. The wire hooks 24 support the shelf 23 and also serve to center the cup.

The amount and size of the air feed openings 22 would depend on the amount of heat and type of fuel that is used.

The shield 33 may be raised and adjusted to protect the heater from wind in the event that the heater is used, as shown in Figs. 1 through 3. After the gas is consumed, the charcoal remaining then burns and the heater itself can be made sufficiently deep to support two fuel containers, one on top of the other, or one right after the other, for steadier heat.

The outer casing it) controls the amount of air .admixed with the fuel gas. The openings 14 therein permit air to enter into the gas chamber 21 through the air feed openings 22.

The fuel may consist of saw dust with other fuels and any solid type of fuel can, of course, be used. The replaceable containers can alsobe adapted to use liquid fuel by using sufficient wicking to absorb the fuel. It will be noted that the gas escaping through the openings in the cover 26 is what burns and not the fuel itself until after it has been converted to charcoal and all of the gas consumed.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 7, there is shown a modified form of the present" invention wherein the shield 33 is replaced by the camp stove indicated generally at 35 and including the rectangular housing 36 across which is supported the grate 37. A three-sided shield made up of the elements 38, 39 and 40 is hingeably connected to the upper edge of the housing 36. The stove then rests on the bottom of the housing 36 below the grate 37. A special compartment 41 is provided at one side and contains the replaceable fuel containers 25.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention, as defined by the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A fuel gas heater comprising an outer container having a top wall, said top wall having a central opening, an inner container closed at the bottom and having an open top positioned within the opening of said outer container top wall, an annular shelf of substantially ring shape, means for supporting said shelf within the inner container in freely spaced relationship to said inner container bottom wall, said outer container near the bottom thereof having vent openings, said inner container having vent openings extending substantially the height thereof, and replaceable fuel container adapted to be supported on said shelf and including a combustible casing airtight on the top and sides and having a perforated bottom, said casing being filled with a fuel and adapted to release fuel gas upon being heated through said perforated bottom, said fuel gas being admixed with air entering through the openings in said outer and inner casing and burning through the opening in said top wall, and means for igniting the fuel within said container.

2. A fuel gas heater according to claim 1, said outer and inner containers being substantially cylindrical, said casing being substantially frusto-conical and having its smaller end disposed uppermost.

3. A fuel gas heater according to claim 2, said frustoconical casing being formed of paper, said fuel comprising a mixture of saw dust and fuel oil, said ignition means comprising a capsule embedded in the saw dust and fuel oil mixture and extending outwardly through the perforated cover and having a closure of a low melting point material, and a wick embedded in said closure and adapted to melt the same upon being ignited, said capsule being filled with a liquid fuel adapted to drop downwardly onto the bottom wall of said inner container and to heat the fuel within said paper casing.

4. A fuel oil heater according to claim 1, said means for supporting said annular support comprising a plurality of angularly spaced, upwardly and outwardly extending hooks secured thereto and adapted to engage the vent openings in said inner container, said openings being provided at circularly arranged, vertically spaced sets.

5. A fuel gas heater according to claim 3, including a vertically adjustable, hollow semicylindrical shield slidably positioned on one side of said outer container and adjustable vertically.

6. A fuel gas heater according to claim 5, said outer container having oppositely disposed handles for increased portability, said shield having a vertically elongated slot receiving one of said handles outwardly therethrough.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 176,661 McCarty Apr. 25, 1876 FOREIGN PATENTS 415,512 Italy Oct. 14, 1946 

